- Title: Conte offers support for Wenger ahead of final showdown
- Date: 26th May 2017
- Summary: STOKE D'ABERNON, ENGLAND, UK (MAY 26, 2017) (REUTERS) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, AT PRESS CONFERENCE CLOSE OF CAMERA LENS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "I know very well the history, the Arsenal history in the FA Cup and also with Arsene they won a lot of trophy in this tournament and I never, I never won this trophy and I think for this reason tomorrow could be a good possibility for me and for my team to try and lift the trophy. But, for sure, I don't trust, I don't trust that tomorrow will be the last game for Arsene, I think he deserves to work with Arsenal because he show in his 20 years to be a great manager, he did a good job and only this season they missed the Champions League and in England this target, sometimes you can undervalue this, but now the Champions League is a good target and Arsenal played for 19 years in a row this competition and I think that this show that his work is very good, he won titles with this team but I repeat modern football we have to pay great attention in modern football." JOURNALIST (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "Yeah, for sure, for sure because when you stay for so long time in the same team - we are talking about a great team - not a simple team, a great team like Arsenal for sure and we must consider him one of the best managers in history. Don't forget he won and he won a lot and then when you stay a long time in the same team someone can forget this, but Arsene, for sure, Arsene Wenger is a really good, a great manager for me." CLOSE OF JOURNALIST TYPING ON LAPTOP (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "Tomorrow we have to play an important game, we have to win an important trophy but I don't forget what happen, I don't want to forget what happened in Manchester. We are very close with the family, with the people who have died in Manchester. Yeah, all the players are (unintelligible) and I have to make the best decision for the team for tomorrow and all the players are fit and this is good news for us." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "In this moment, in this moment for us it is very important to keep the right concentration and I think in this aspect we could start as underdog because we won the league and we celebrate the league. It was right to enjoy the moment, to celebrate the league and instead on the other side we will face a team who lost the Champions League, the possibility to play in the Champions League next season and they have only this possibility to save the season. We must pay great attention, we must pay great focus." WIDE OF PRESS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "Today is a very difficult to answer your question and for sure John (Terry) will be with us and for sure will be on the bench and then we'll see, we'll see what the game request in the moment that we are playing but our target, our aim, is to reach another trophy and to see him lift this trophy. I have this dream and also my players they have this dream." JOURNALISTS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE, SAYING: "We have to finish this season but we started to work for the next season and I think that we have the same point of view and I for sure will try to improve next season our squad because we have to face an important competition like Champions League but I think the club and me we are, we have the same point of view for this." END OF PRESS CONFERENCE
- Embargoed: 9th June 2017 16:32
- Keywords: soccer football Chelsea Antonio Conte
- Location: STOKE D'ABERNON, ENGLAND, UK
- City: STOKE D'ABERNON, ENGLAND, UK
- Country: United Kingdom
- Topics: Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0016IH6EKF
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chelsea manager Antonio Conte offered his backing to Arsenal counterpart Arsene Wenger on Friday (May 26), even if he hopes to pile on the misery for the Frenchman in the FA Cup final.
Wenger's Arsenal side could salvage something from a season in which they failed to finish in the Premier League's top four for the first time since he took charge in 1996 if they deny league champions Chelsea the double at Wembley.
But if they fail, Conte believes Arsenal would be wrong to part company with Wenger, who is looking to win the FA Cup for the seventh time with the Gunners.
"I know very well the history, the Arsenal history in the FA Cup and also with Arsene they won a lot of trophy in this tournament and I never, I never won this trophy and I think for this reason tomorrow could be a good possibility for me and for my team to try and lift the trophy," Conte, who could emulate fellow Italian Carlo Ancelotti's 2010 feat of winning both the Premier League and FA Cup for Chelsea, told a news conference.
"But, for sure, I don't trust, I don't trust that tomorrow will be the last game for Arsene, I think he deserves to work with Arsenal because he show in his 20 years to be a great manager, " said Conte.
"He did a good job and only this season they missed the Champions League and in England this target, sometimes you can undervalue this, but now the Champions League is a good target."
Arsenal won their last five Premier League games but finished outside the Champions League spots despite reaching 75 points -- the highest total ever for a team finishing fifth.
Wenger, targeted by some fans who believe it is time for the club to say farewell to the 67-year-old, has so far refused to disclose whether he will sign a new contract.
But Conte was fulsome in his praise for his counterpart.
"Yeah, for sure, for sure because when you stay for so long time in the same team - we are talking about a great team - not a simple team, a great team like Arsenal for sure and we must consider him one of the best managers in history," Conte said.
Despite Conte's respect for Wenger, there will be no let-up from the Italian, who wants his side to complete a remarkable season. He says his side must match the desire of an Arsenal side desperate to avoid ending the season empty-handed.
"In this moment, in this moment for us it is very important to keep the right concentration and I think in this aspect we could start as underdog because we won the league and we celebrate the league."
Conte has no injury worries ahead of Saturday's final and said John Terry would also be on the bench in what will be his final game for the club.
"He will be with us, and for sure he will be on the bench, and then we will see what the game needs in the moment we are playing," he said. "Our aim is to reach another trophy and to see him lift this trophy.
"I have this dream and also my players have this dream." - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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